number 3

So here is just a little update about what’s been going on with me. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I didn’t have internet for the first week. Something was wrong with it at the school. So this week has been the first one that I could catch up on all the emails. Even though we had internet, like I said before it has been CRAZY! We have so much stuff due. We have to do weekly journals, book reports and we have to preach in chapel. On top of that, everyone and their mom wants a hair cut, because there is no hair stylist in this small village or the castle. So around 50 people haven’t had hair cuts in a long time! I did 6 people last Saturday.
And then of course I have to prepare for worship at times. I sang and led this morning for our DTS class. It is quite interesting leading worship here. It’s totally different here than it is at home. At home it is a lot more structured and flows more together. Here, there are all these pauses in between, and we didn’t even practice one song before we did it. So I am learning a lot about worship. It’s interesting, I think that this has taught me about being still before God. I always feel as if I have to fill every silence, but I think that it is amazing to stop the music and be still at least in the setting that I am in. I don’t know if that’s always a good thing for corporate worship, especially if unchurched people are involved.
So a little bit about what it’s like here. I walked in the first day kind of expecting a bunker and I walked into this huge room with wood floors and wood vaulted ceilings. My bed is over by the huge windows that have shutters that open out. It’s exactly the bed that I would have picked. I felt like I was in a dream. So the next morning I wake up and it is snowing lightly outside the windows. I seriously felt like a princess! The only thing that I have struggled with is getting used to sharing a room with 7 other girls. We have this one girl who wakes up at 6 or earlier no matter what day. So last Saturday, suffice it to say that I was a little angry to be woken up so early! In her defense, it is really hard to be quiet here because everything is wood. It has been so cold here!! I guess I’ve been living in Florida for too long. I usually love the cold, but it’s even cold when you come inside, so I feel as if I can’t get warm. Oh well, it should warm up soon. It’s crazy to be so cold in April!
The other night was really cool. We had Bavarian Night. They served pretzels and weisswurst, for those of you know what that is, it was really good! And they served apple juice with bubbles in these big beer glasses. It was really fun. Some people dressed up in true Bavarian clothes. It was a lot of fun.
I have met a few Americans here who are really sweet. I am glad. Sometimes it’s really hard to be here and hear only German spoken. I’m the only native English speaker in my class. Let’s just say they don’t always get my jokes! =) It is really cool though that everyone is from so many different places. We have people from all over Germany, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Italy and Brazil, and then there’s me the lone American! We have such a great group of people though. There’s one young guy who reminds me so much of Zach. I feel like the protective older sister. It’s really fun. Our castle cleaning duty is to clean up in the kitchen after lunch. We always joke around saying it’s the funnest part of the day, and we make a lot of noise! The other day we had a marker fight. It’s like I have a little brother.
I am doing really good. I know that I am in the right place. God is in control and I am really excited to be here.